{"id":132898,"date":"2024-10-04T12:50:50","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T16:50:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=132898"},"modified":"2024-10-08T14:08:35","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T18:08:35","slug":"wheel-of-awareness-meditation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wheel-of-awareness-meditation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Wheel of Awareness Meditation: Dan Siegel’s How-to Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is your mind constantly racing, making it difficult to find inner peace<\/a>? Would you like to cultivate a deeper sense of awareness and connection to yourself and others?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wheel of Awareness<\/a> meditation<\/a>, as described by Daniel J. Siegel in Aware<\/em>, guides you through different aspects of your experience. With this practice, you explore physical sensations, thoughts, emotions, and your sense of interconnectedness<\/a> with the world around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading to learn how the Wheel of Awareness<\/a> can transform your meditation practice<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Prepare to Do the Wheel of Awareness Meditation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you start practicing the Wheel of Awareness meditation, Siegel recommends you prepare and strengthen your focused attention skills with some basic meditation techniques that focus on your breath. Siegel recommends you practice breath meditation on a regular basis before diving into the Wheel.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To practice simple breath meditation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Find a quiet, comfortable space free of distractions. Get into a comfortable sitting position with your back straight, or lie down if that\u2019s more comfortable for you. Keep your eyes open or closed as needed\u2014whichever helps you maintain alertness better.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Breathe through your nose<\/a> if possible. Focus on the sensation of the air moving in and out of your nostrils, and try to let that sensation become the sole focus of your attention.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Move your attention to the sensations of breathing that you can feel in your chest and belly. Then let your attention rest on the sensations of breathing wherever it feels the easiest to pay attention to your breath.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Your mind will inevitably wander from the sensation of breathing. When it does, gently bring your attention back to your breath.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Siegel suggests you adopt a kind attitude toward yourself during your meditation sessions. Don’t judge when your mind drifts\u2014accept it as a normal part of the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    (Shortform note: In When Things Fall Apart<\/em>,<\/a> Pema Ch\u00f6dr\u00f6n explains that the kind of breath meditation Siegel recommends above is called Shamatha-vipashyana<\/em><\/a>, a meditation practice from Tibetan Buddhist traditions. In Ch\u00f6dr\u00f6n\u2019s outline of the basic steps of Shamatha-vipashyana, she also recommends that you adopt an attitude of kindness and patience for yourself. She says when your mind drifts, you should try to notice the thought you\u2019re having and label it as “thinking” with self-compassion<\/a>. Then, release the thought, return attention to your breath, and conduct a brief body scan to reground yourself in the present moment.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Practice the Wheel Meditation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    To meditate with the Wheel, Siegel recommends you take a few moments to do the breath meditation you\u2019ve been practicing. Then move your spoke of attention through the four Wheel sections. The full meditation takes around 30 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Section #1: Your Five Senses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    First, with your eyes closed, picture the Wheel of Awareness as described above and imagine yourself in the center, the hub of awareness. Next, imagine sending your attention out from the hub like a spoke to the first section of the rim: your five senses. Begin to focus on the sensations you can perceive with each sense. Start with the sensations of hearing and move to sight, smells, taste, and touch (sensations coming in through your skin, like how your clothes feel or the temperature). Focus on each sense for at least 15 to 30 seconds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Order of The Wheel Sections and The Hierarchy of Needs<\/strong>

    Siegel doesn\u2019t explain the reasoning behind the order of the Wheel meditation sections, but the logic of the Wheel\u2019s order\u2014starting with the physical self and moving to the mind and then the social self\u2014shows up in other frameworks of personal growth<\/a>, such as Maslow\u2019s pyramid of the hierarchy of needs<\/a>. This psychological theory organizes human motivations into a pyramid, with basic physiological needs at the base and self-actualization at the top, suggesting that lower-level needs must be satisfied before addressing higher-level ones.

    Just as Maslow emphasized the fundamental importance of physical well-being, the Wheel meditation begins by grounding in your immediate physical experience by tuning into your five senses and developing mindful awareness of your body.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Section #2: Your Body Sensations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Next, take a deep breath and move your spoke of attention to the second section of the rim: the internal sensations of your body. As you move through this section, focus your awareness on each part of your body for at least five to 15 seconds. Begin with your face, then move your awareness to your forehead, scalp, down the sides of your head, to your ears and neck. Then, move on to your shoulders and down both arms to your hands and fingers. Come back to your upper back and chest and down to your lower back and abdomen. Then, go to your hips, down both legs, feet, and toes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Next, come back up and focus your attention on the sensations in your pelvic area, including your genitals, then up to your intestines and your stomach. Then, move up through your chest and esophagus to the inside of your mouth, the sinuses behind your cheekbones, the inside of your nose, and then back down your throat into your lungs. Feel both of your lungs expand and contract. Then, move your attention to your heart. And lastly, expand your attention and try to become aware of the inside of your entire body at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    (Shortform note: The second section of the wheel corresponds to the second level in Maslow\u2019s hierarchy<\/a>, which relates to safety needs. As you move from external sensations to internal bodily awareness<\/a>, you\u2019ll delve deeper into your sense of physical security and comfort. Maslow emphasized the importance of feeling safe in one’s body and environment. By systematically scanning our body, we’re nurturing a sense of bodily integrity and self-awareness, which can contribute to feelings of safety and stability\u2014key components of the second tier in Maslow’s pyramid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Section #3: Your Mind<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Now, take a deep breath and move your spoke to the third section of the wheel: the mental processes of your thoughts, memories, emotions, daydreams, and so on. In this section, don\u2019t focus your attention on sensations. Instead, open your awareness to notice whatever comes up in your mind. Try to stay with this section for at least a minute and a half. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Recall that Siegel says there\u2019s nothing that\u2019s supposed<\/em> to come to mind during this section\u2014allow whatever happens in your mind to happen and just notice it. Try to notice how something like a thought or feeling first appears in your awareness\u2014does it pop in suddenly or come on slowly? Once it\u2019s there, does it stick around for a while or leave quickly? Does your mental space feel chaotic or clear? Can you sense a gap between each thought, memory, or emotion? Or do they rush in one right after the other?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    (Shortform note: The third Wheel section aligns with the esteem needs in the middle of Maslow’s pyramid<\/a>, which include the importance of feeling valued and developing a stable sense of self-worth<\/a>. In the third Wheel section, you\u2019ll explore the mental landscape that shapes your sense of self. By noticing your thoughts and feelings<\/a> without judgment, you cultivate self-awareness and potentially develop a more balanced view of yourself. This practice can lead to greater self-understanding and self-acceptance, key components of healthy self-esteem in Maslow’s framework.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Then, practice becoming aware of your own awareness. To do this, imagine bending the spoke of your attention back toward the center of the wheel so that you can practice being aware of your awareness itself. Try to become aware of your own awareness for at least one minute. Siegel writes that when first practicing the Wheel meditation, you can skip this part of the process. Instead, when doing this section, focus only on your mental thoughts as described above. Once you\u2019ve gained mastery of the meditation, you can add in this step of becoming aware of your awareness.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    (Shortform note: Developing awareness of your own awareness is one of the four foundational practices in Buddhist Satipatthana<\/em><\/a>. As Buddhist meditation<\/a> practitioners develop mindfulness, they not only observe thoughts, emotions, and mental states but also become aware of the part of their mind that is doing the observing. By cultivating this awareness of awareness, practitioners can gain deeper insights into the impermanent and non-self nature of all phenomena, including consciousness itself.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Section #4: Interconnection & Kind Intentions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Again, take a deep breath and imagine moving the Spoke to the fourth section of the rim: your sense of connection to others. Begin by letting yourself become aware of your connection to the people and animals physically closest to you. Then, expand that sense of connection to the friends, family, and animals not physically close to you. Next, move your awareness to the people and animals you spend time with at work, school, and community. Then, expand your relational connection to all the beings in your neighborhood, your town or city, region or state, and then to all the beings living in your country and continent. Lastly, try to reach your sense of connection out to encompass the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Finally, extend kind intentions<\/em>\u2014loving and kind well-wishes\u2014to all the living beings in your life, especially to other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Start by saying these simple expressions aloud or silently to yourself: \u201cMay all living beings be happy. May all living beings be healthy. May all living beings be safe. May all living beings flourish and thrive.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Next, move on to the following statements, which add more detail to the expressions: \u201cMay I be happy and live with meaning, connection, and equanimity, and a playful, grateful, joyful heart. May I be healthy and have a body that gives energy and flexibility, strength and stability. May I be safe and protected from all sorts of inner and outer harm. May I flourish, thrive, and live with ease and well-being.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Lastly, repeat the detailed phrases from the previous step but replace the \u201cI\u201d with \u201cWe\u201d to cultivate a sense of interconnection and interrelation with the beings in your life and on the planet. For example, you\u2019ll say, \u201cMay we be happy and live with meaning\u2026\u201d etc.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Siegel writes that this step, of extending kind intentions, is another step you can skip when you begin to meditate with the Wheel. Instead, you can focus only on the first aspects of this section\u2014becoming aware of your connection to others. Then, when you\u2019ve gained some mastery of the meditation, you can add this step in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      (Shortform note: This final section of the Wheel aligns with multiple levels of Maslow’s hierarchy. The third level of the hierarchy contains needs for love and belonging<\/a>, just as\u00a0 Siegel\u2019s fourth section cultivates your awareness of your interconnection with other beings. As the fourth section extends to a global perspective, it correlates to the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy, the need for self-actualization<\/em><\/a>, or reaching your full potential<\/a> as an individual and community member. Just as Maslow proposed that the pinnacle of human development is transcending yourself<\/a> to connect with something greater, the Wheel meditation expands awareness from the individual to the collective.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      After completing the meditation session, take a few mindful breaths and then slowly open your eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Compact Wheel Meditation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Siegel says that, after you\u2019ve established a regular practice with the Wheel meditation, you can do a quicker version of the practice when you\u2019re short on time. This version only takes about seven minutes. The basic premise of this version is that you use the rhythm and flow of your breath to pace each of the Wheel steps. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      For example, in the first section of the wheel, match each of your five senses with a breath cycle: inhale and exhale as you pay attention to what you\u2019re hearing, inhale and exhale as you focus on what you\u2019re smelling, etc. End each Wheel section with an inhale breath and move the Spoke of attention to the next section with your exhale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      In the second section, match each breath cycle with a different body part as you make your way through the different areas and organs. For the third section, spend a few cycles of breath paying attention<\/a> to your thoughts and a few cycles bending the Spoke back to pay attention to awareness. For the fourth section, expand awareness of your connection to larger circles of other living beings with each breath cycle. If you\u2019re doing the step of offering kind well-wishes, play around with different ways of matching the expression with the rhythm and flow of your breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      (Shortform note: The compact wheel is similar to vinyasa yoga<\/a>, which pairs the rhythm and flow of your breath to different movements of your body. One movement in vinyasa, for example, has you lift your hands above your head when you inhale and bring them down to your sides when you exhale. In both the compact wheel and vinyasa, you change your attention and action with each breath cycle, which, according to yoga experts, can create a sense of momentum and harmony in the mind and body.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Reflect on the Wheel Experience\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      As you familiarize yourself with the Wheel mediation, Siegel recommends you take time to reflect on your experiences. He recommends you journal after your sessions so that you can return to your reflections and track how things evolve along the way. He suggests the following areas of reflection:<\/p>\n\n\n\n